Chiefs vs. Chargers: Cornerback Jason Verrett will miss rest of season

Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett will miss the rest of the 2017 regular season after undergoing knee surgery.

Another year, another injury for Jason Verrett. No one denies his talent, but staying on the field has been the biggest hurdle for the Los Angeles Chargers cornerback. Unfortunately just two weeks into the 2017 season, Verrett is once again forced to miss several games, this time for the rest of the season due to a need to have knee surgery.

Verrett played in the opening game against the Broncos, but new head coach Anthony Lynn sat him in the team’s game last week against the Miami Dolphins. Now the Chargers pass defense moves forward once again without Verrett, who has started only 23 games in his four year NFL career.

The plus side for the Chargers, if there is one, is that they’re used to not depending on Verrett overall. Casey Hayward can hold down one outside cornerback slot as the team’s best pass defender. Together with Verrett, it’s one of the best combos in the league, but now Trevor Williams must step up for the Chargers. He already did last week against the Dolphins, giving up only 3 catches for 41 yards.

Verrett, a former Texas Christian University cornerback, took hits for his small size coming into the NFL at only 5’9, but his talent more than made up for any concerns for most teams, which is why the Chargers selected him in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft at No. 25 overall. However even in college, health was a serious concern for Verrett who had surgical procedures on both knees in college as well as a torn labrum.

It will be interesting to see what the Chargers do about Verrett long-term because the team already exercised their fifth-year option on him—an amount of over $8 million. That’s pricey for an oft-injured cornerback and yet Verrett’s ability is Pro Bowl caliber. In fact, in the one season in which he’s started double digit games in 2015, Verrett actually made the Pro Bowl.

Will the Chargers released Verrett with a injury settlement to avoid paying the fee next year? Will they take the $8 million gamble knowing that if he can somehow return to form, the money spent with only a one-year commitment could be worth it in the end? Will the two sides reach a new deal or will Verrett test the open market? All of this will be interesting to watch next offseason.